Sermon Tone Analysis

Mar 9, 2008

Scriptures: Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45; Romans 8:6-11

Series “The ‘March’ to Easter” - Message “Jesus Brings ‘Real’ Life” OR “Grave-Keeper – Move That Stone"

Rev. Stephen Filyer 

Bothwell & Clachan Baptist Churches

*INTRODUCTION*

As you can see from our Bulletin this morning, as we continue through our Series “The ‘March’ to Easter” we come to today’s Message “Jesus Brings ‘Real’ Life” OR perhaps we could have called it: “Grave-Keeper – Move That Stone!”

I read this week of the last words of some famous people:

/ /

*Lady Nancy Astor*/ (When she woke briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her.) /"Am I dying, or is this my birthday?"

- —/Lady Nancy Astor; died 1964 \\ \\ /

*Domonic Willard*/ (A foot soldier during the Prohibition, just before his death by firing squad.

He was asked if he had any last requests.)

/"Why yes, a bulletproof vest."  - —/Domonic Willard \\ \\ /

\\ *Winston Churchill*/, statesman; died January 24, 1965 (Before slipping into a coma.

He died 9 days later.)

/*"*I'm bored with it all."

*Woody Allen:* "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work.

I want to achieve it through not dying."[1]

*Jack Nicholson on Life and Death*

In the 2007 film /The Bucket List/, two terminally ill men—played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman—take a road trip to do the things they always said they would do before they "kicked the bucket."

In anticipation of the film's release, Nicholson was interviewed for an article in Parade magazine.

While reflecting on his personal life, Nicholson said:

 

I used to live so freely.

The mantra for my generation was "Be your own man!"

I always said, "Hey, you can have whatever rules you want—I'm going to have mine.

I'll accept the guilt.

I'll pay the check.

I'll do the time."

I chose my own way.

That was my philosophical position well into my 50s.

As I've gotten older, I've had to adjust.

But reality has a way of getting the attention of even a Jack Nicholson.

Later in the interview, Nicholson adds:

We all want to go on forever, don't we?

We fear the unknown.

Everybody goes to that wall, yet nobody knows what's on the other side.

That's why we fear death.

- Dotson Rader, "I want to go on forever," Parade magazine (12-9-07), pp.

6-8

 

*Undeniably, Reliably Dead!*

In the musical, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's house is swept up by a monstrous tornado.

When her house finally sets down, we discover it has landed on the wicked witch of the west who has been terrorizing the residents of Munchkin City.

The witch looks dead, but before the celebration of their good fortune can begin, death must be verified beyond any shadow of doubt.

The mayor of the city says to Dorothy, "As the mayor of Munchkin City, in the county of the land of Oz, I welcome you most regally.

But we've got to verify it legally, to see if she is morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, absolutely, positively, undeniably, and reliably dead!" .-

Jef Olson, Resurrection Rehearsal: The Lazarus Story

 

*Martha’s Problem*

When Martha goes out to meet Jesus, there is no doubt.

(After four days in that tomb) Lazarus is morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, absolutely, positively, undeniably, and reliably dead.

Even the hope of resurrection was gone.

At this point in time, there was no way that either Mary and Martha could have imagined that they would soon be feasting with Lazarus and with Jesus (12:1–2).

This knowledge limited Martha’s belief that Jesus could “heal” Lazarus from death.

But her belief in Jesus also gave her the extra knowledge that Lazarus would rise at the “last day” at the end of time.

This is a good start but her understanding of what she believes limits both her vision and her belief of what God can or cannot do.

It is like she has defined what God can do and then locked that concept up in a box.

It cannot be changed.

*Lazarus* Knows

Lazarus also “knows” that death is real.

In a sense he too had to deal with the question of whether Jesus’ power was just limited to the future.

*What Do We Limit God to Today?*

We live in a world that tells us that if God even did exist, he does not care or is probably powerless to do anything.

The belief of those (who) operate with a narrowly naturalistic view of the universe is to dismiss (miracles) out of hand as pure legend.

Dead men do not rise in a closed universe; therefore Lazarus did not rise.[2]

So does our understanding of our world, or of what our world tells us to believe, limit what we believe God is able to do for us?

Do our questions limit our belief?

Romans 1:4 says Jesus was “declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.”

Even more than Lazarus’ return to physical life, Jesus’ own resurrection affirmed that He now has all power.

Nothing in our lives is beyond His power to transform and to change.

Praise Jesus that His power is available now .[3]

Jesus brings real life.

*The Way Out*

Most everyone has worked one of those mazes where you follow the right path to find your way out.

As you move your pencil through the maze you keep running into dead ends until you find the one path that sets you free.

\\ \\ Life is a lot like living in a maze.

We continue to take wrong turns which lead nowhere and often retrace our steps until we can find our way.

It can be very frustrating.

Sometimes we never do find our way out.

Those are the times we are stuck and feel like a prisoner with no escape.

- Keith Wagner, Only One Way Out

\\ *NEVER TOO LATE*

When Martha said “Even now” she was breaking out of that maze by opening a door of faith.

And it opened wider than she ever could have anticipated.

From the depth of her loss and sorrow she was a disciple who desperately clung to her faith in Jesus.

The eventual results were astonishing!

There is always enough time for Christ to act.

We must continue to trust in him.

[4]

/ /

That is because, Jesus is the “resurrection and the life” *today*!

Because of that he is able to wipe away all of our questions with one of his own: “Do you believe this?”

/ /

/Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Do *you* believe this?” (vv.

25–26)/.[5]

It is one thing to believe that Jesus has the power to raise us up on the last day.

He does and He will.

But it’s something else to realize that Jesus’ power is unlimited now; that Jesus can bring real life to the deadened areas of our own personalities; that because of Jesus’ power, we *can* risk taking actions that we might otherwise never have the courage to take.

[6]   Like C.S. Lewis, we no longer doubt that God will do the best for us; we just wonder how painful that best will turn out to be.[7]

But we need never draw back from anything God asks, for the unlimited power of new life is ours in Him.[8]

 

Revelation 21:4 promises: /He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away./

That is a wonderful verse about a fantastic future, but what about right now?

We *can* choose our perspective.

We can dwell among the traffic jams of life, standing on the bumpers, trying to see what in the world is going on, perhaps even discussing it with others.